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New comScore Segment Metrix Allows Powerful Segmentation of Online Audiences
LONDON, September 25 /PRNewswire/ --
comScore (Nasdaq: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today
announced the U.K. launch of its ground-breaking comScore Segment Metrix
analytical tool.
comScore Segment Metrix enables clients to conduct insightful
segmentation analyses of the extensive comScore Media Metrix online behaviour
database using a wide variety of consumer segmentation schemes. The product
provides the flexibility to integrate three different types of segmentation
schemes with the Media Metrix data-segments based on the observed online
behaviour, proprietary segmentation schemes clients currently use, and
segmentation approaches from third party analytical consultants.
The key benefits of comScore Segment Metrix include:
-- Media owners are able to determine if they are getting their fair
share of heavy users compared to other properties in their sector
-- Agencies and advertisers can attain better insight into how to reach
important target customers
-- Advertisers can now integrate their offline marketing segmentation
schemes with comScore's online panel allowing them to track, analyze
and report online behaviour by these important (offline) consumer
segments
"Consumer segmentation is not new -- it is an important part of
marketing, and over the years comScore has conducted a great deal of custom
segmentation work," said Bob Ivins, EVP of International Markets at comScore.
"With comScore Segment Metrix, marketers can define consumer segments
behaviourally and then identify where to find them across the web-making
media and promotion plans more targeted, efficient and effective."
Heavy Internet Users Visit More Sites and Consume a Disproportionate
Share of Pages
The first segmentation to be offered is one defined by online behaviour.
This approach, called comScore Segment Metrix H/M/L, allows marketers to
analyze online activity by heavy, medium and light users of the Internet and
of any specific categories of sites reported by comScore. The Heavy segment
group will be defined as the top 20 percent of consumers, based on time spent
online at specific site categories; the Medium group will be defined as the
middle 30 percent; and the Light users are the lightest 50 percent. H/M/L
user segments will be available in all 32 countries where comScore syndicated
data are available and across all 110 comScore defined categories and
sub-categories of sites.
Total U.K. Heavy, Medium and Light Internet Users
July 2007
Total U.K. - Home & Work Locations(i)
Source: comScore Segment Metrix
Segment Total Unique Average Hours Average Pages Average Visits
Users (000) per User per User per User
All 31,791 36.2 3,521 73.2
Heavy Users 6,129 99.4 8,999 153.8
Medium Users 9,712 40.1 4,182 90.3
Light Users 15,950 9.5 1,013 31.8
(i) Persons age 15+. Excludes traffic from public computers such as
Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs
The average U.K. Internet user spent 36.2 hours online in July and made
73.2 visits. However, when we break this population down to reveal the online
behaviour of heavy, medium and light users, we can see that there are
significant differences between the segments. Heavy Internet users spent
almost three times more time online in July -- 99.4 hours -- and made more
than twice as many visits as the national average.
"By definition, heavy Internet users consume a disproportionately high
share of content. The H/M/L segmentation gives our clients the ability to
understand the behaviour of one segment versus the others and to determine if
they are getting their fair share of heavy, medium or even light Internet or
category-specific users," commented Mr. Ivins. "There are also stark and
important differences across these groups, which represent critical knowledge
for advertisers with specific reach and frequency objectives."
Whilst these segments are differentiated by the volume of content that
they consume online, there is also immense polarization in the nature of the
sites that Heavy and Light Internet users visit. By applying comScore Segment
Metrix to the comScore Media Metrix online behavioural database, advertisers
and marketers can determine exactly which categories of sites are being
visited by which segments. Light users spend a disproportionately high
percentage of their time online on banking, finance and travel sites, whilst
heavy users spend an above average proportion of their time on communication,
gaming, and entertainment categories.
High Index Categories for Light Internet Users(i)
July 2007
Total U.K. - Home & Work Locations(ii)
Source: comScore Segment Metrix
% of Total Duration Indexed
to Internet Average
Category Light Heavy
Banking 228 54
Government 212 62
Personal Finance 210 59
Education 180 68
Travel 177 64
Real Estate 170 61
Search/Navigation 161 75
Apparel 157 71
(i) Among categories where >1% of total online minutes were spent
(ii) Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes or
access from mobile phones or PDAs
High Index Categories for Heavy Internet Users(i)
July 2007
Total U.K. - Home & Work Locations(ii)
Source: comScore Segment Metrix
% of Total Duration Indexed
to Internet Average
Category Heavy Light
Instant Messengers 128 43
Discussion/Chat 127 50
Social Networking 116 62
Teens 114 60
Multimedia 112 70
Auctions 109 72
Online Gambling 109 64
Entertainment - Music 108 91
(i) Among categories where >1% of total online minutes were spent
(ii) Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes or
access from mobile phones or PDAs
Light users index at 228 points for time spent on sites in the online
banking category, against the total Internet index of 100. For Heavy Internet
users, time spent on online banking sites is relatively low, at 54 index
points. Conversely, when we examine the Instant Messengers category this
trend is reversed, with Heavy Internet users indexing at 128 points, and
Light users at 43.
comScore Segment Metrix offers H/M/L segmentation data for 113 categories
and sub-categories including Business/Finance (with 7 sub-categories), Career
Development (4), Community (7), Directories/Resources (7), Education (2),
Entertainment (9), Gambling (3), Games (3), Government, Health (3), Hobbies
(4), ISP, News/Information (4), Portals, Real Estate, Regional/Local, Retail
(21), Search/Navigation, Services (11), Sports, Technology (2),
Telecommunications, and Travel (8).
Additional segmentation approaches, including customer defined
segmentation and third-party geo-demographic segmentation schemes will be
announced in the near future.
About comScore
comScore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital
world. This capability is based on a massive, global cross-section of more
than 2 million consumers who have given comScore permission to confidentially
capture their browsing and transaction behaviour, including online and
offline purchasing. comScore panelists also participate in survey research
that captures and integrates their attitudes and intentions. Through its
proprietary technology, comScore measures what matters across a broad
spectrum of behaviour and attitudes. comScore analysts apply this deep
knowledge of customers and competitors to help clients design powerful
marketing strategies and tactics that deliver superior ROI. comScore services
are used by more than 700 clients, including global leaders such as AOL,
Microsoft, Yahoo!, BBC, Carat, Cyworld, Deutsche Bank, France Telecom, Best
Buy, The Newspaper Association of America, Financial Times, ESPN, Fox Sports,
Nestle, Starcom, Universal McCann, the United States Postal Service, Verizon,
ViaMichelin, Merck and Expedia. For more information, please visit
http://www.comscore.com
Web site: http://www.comscore.com
